Pages

Search Edgaged

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Skitch for iPad

Skitch has been around for quite awhile. In fact, I blogged about using it on an iPod Touch several years ago when I had Kindergarten and first grade students using them instead of iPads. I was extremely focused on tools that functioned well on both devices. However, Skitch is one of those apps that changes so frequently, any videos or explanations you create pretty much become obsolete as soon as you make them. Just about like buying any new technology.

I absolutely love apps that can be applied to almost any learning experience. Skitch is one of those apps. Students use it to describe objects, go on scavenger hunts in the school or class, label items, build authentic slideshows for a presentation, and the list can go on and on. Either way, it is an excellent tool for students to get started expressing their learning through a creative outlet that takes very little time at all. What measures the true value of Skitch is that by combining it with other apps (app smashing), the student products move to a different level.

Fortunately for me, I didn't have to make a video using Skitch. One of my first grade teachers, Christina Minick, made one while teaching her class how to use it. Here, she demonstrates to her class how to use the app by labeling books from a book-fair flyer they might be interested in, the genre, or any other classification a teacher would want. I thought it was a great practical application of Skitch in how students can communicate their knowledge of fiction vs. non-fiction texts just by looking at the cover, title, and author.